Page 74 of Love Redesigned
“Alex, it’s Angelica. Did I wake you?”
I hesitated just long enough.
“Oh, I did, didn’t I? Sorry about that. I’m in London. I didn’t think about the time difference until I’d already dialed.”
“It’s no problem,” I said. “I’m glad you called. What’s in London?”
“We brought the kids over to meet their grandparents,” Angelica said. “We’re driving up to Cambridge in the morning.”
I smiled. I hadn’t seen Angelica since grad school. Except for an occasional interaction on social media, we’d lost touch after graduation. Imagining her married, the mother of a toddler and a newborn, was crazy. We weren’t actually old enough for that, were we? Families. Kids. A slight twinge of jealousy welled up, taking me by surprise.
“How’s the new baby?” I asked.
“Exhausting. But adorable as ever. At least she is now that we’re no longer on a transatlantic flight.”
“I bet.”
“So I have news,” Angelica said. “I’ve been through everything you sent over, and I think you’re right. The evidence definitely points to embezzlement. I called in a few favors with a friend of mine—he’s a private investigator—and get this. Solomon Riversisa real person.”
My heart sank. I had really hoped he was a made-up entity to cover Sasha’s trail.
I swore under my breath.
“No, no, don’t be disappointed,” Angelica said. “This is actually better. Heisa real person, but he doesn’t have anything to do with fashion. He lives with his mother in Blue Springs, Alabama.”
“Alabama?” I asked, cautiously.
“Yes. In the same town where the one and only Sasha Wellington grew up.”
I sat all the way up, my heart rate climbing.
“Here’s where it gets good,” Angelica said. “Eleven years ago, Sasha Wellington had her name legally changed. From Sally Mabel Rivers. Solomon Rivers is her younger brother.”
“Wow.”
“So the LLC under Rivers’ name is legit, licensed in the state of Alabama, but the cash is all in a bank in Brazil.”
I swallowed. “How much?” I knew how much I’d tracked through her fake purchases, but I had a hunch she was colluding with someone else—someone in accounting who was willing to turn a blind eye—which meant money could have been siphoned out in multiple ways.
“Just over twelve million dollars,” Angelica said.
The number nearly knocked the wind out of me. “Is there enough evidence to convict?” I asked.
Angelica hesitated. “I think so. There’s a definite paper trail if you know what you’re looking for, but my hunch is that she has someone working with her, covering things up on the accounting side. Otherwise, LeFranc would have caught her by now.”
“Thanks for your help, Angelica. I owe you one.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll give you a call when we’re back in the states. I’ve heard Charleston is lovely. Maybe we’ll come down for a visit.”
We said our goodbyes and then, almost immediately, an email from Angelica popped up in my inbox, a summary of everything we’d talked about on the phone, complete with corroborating evidence. I chuckled when I looked over Sasha’s petition for a name change. Sally Mabel. I never would have guessed.
Suddenly I didn’t want to wait to tell Dani what I’d learned. It was after 3 AM, but I didn’t care. If it were me, I’d consider the news worth waking up for. I threw on a t-shirt and crept silently through the house. The November chill bit into my bare arms and legs as I crossed the garden to the studio door. Charleston had mild winters for the most part, but a front had come through and it wasfrigidoutside. Inside the studio, I rubbed my hands up my arms in an effort to chase away the chill, then moved to the stairs.
Crouching beside Dani’s bed, I suddenly thought better of my impromptu outing. She was sleeping so peacefully. Surely the news would keep until morning. But then, I was already there. If I didn’t wake her up then I’d snuck all the way up to her room to watch her sleep, which felt worse than waking her up. I was excited; I wasn’t a creep.
I reached out, gently nudging her shoulder. “Dani,” I whispered. “Dani, wake up.”
She opened her eyes, and jumped back, scrambling backward on her bed. I realized, belatedly, that in the darkness, she probably couldn’t see who I was. I was just a dark shadow looming over her.
